Eighteen Layers of Hell
Mu Yu looked around from the air, thinking, Are we in another cavern? I can’t even see the roof from here. Judging from the wind movements, below us is gravity war reeking with yin qi, and the path ahead has to be over a kilometre long. There are even ghouls in this body of water. How is the current occasionally rising as coiling columns of water until they crash and drop back down? Oh, we’re not suspended. I almost didn’t see the huge ghost hands conjured from the gravity water holding up the boats.
Every green and red ghost flame floating in the air caged a struggling soul inside.
In the centre of the body of water was a tower of bones with eighteen floors – each five hundred metres tall. Bones hovered around the tower. There were cracks in the bones to act as windows, each the size of arms. The souls visible inside the windows belonged to more than just humans. Some souls could not be classified since they did not have any describable appearance. They were subjected to various methods of torture, such as amputation, incineration, dismemberment using iron chains and so forth. Once a soul was amputated, another soul would come over and pour black gravity water onto the maimed soul, healing the mutilated soul.
Why are there those flesh-winged horny monsters in there and why are they pouring those ladles of gravity water onto souls? I guess I should be relieved they’re only a soul of themselves. Just what is Ghost Gate up to? This must be the Eighteen Layers of Hell they mentioned.
Those on the fleet began to disembark on the bridges constructed of bones, which led to different places, could only be crossed one individual at a time. The bridges formed a criss-crossing pattern to the top, easily confusing anyone climbing them for the first time. Some bones would gather together to form bridges while they were moving around.
Whether they pre-existed or formed as the group reached them, they had the same gravitational pull as the gravity water. Accordingly, Mu Yu had to follow Gui Buyu’s lead to the centre. The bridges autonomously modified themselves once they were half way across, pitting them at the centre of rings of bridges.
Gui Buyu was the only one unperturbed as he was familiar with the forbidden area of the sect grounds. Fifteen minutes since beginning the journey in and halfway to the eighteenth floor, he called for them to stop as the bridge did not continue to extend itself to the eighteenth floor’s bridge. He took a few steps forward and knelt down on the bridge to kowtow. “Your disciple offers his humble greetings, Ghost Ancestor.”
Everyone else followed suit in proper lines. “Your disciple offers his humble greetings, Ghost Ancestor.”
Oi, oi, do they have an Apotheosis Realm adept around? I feel like there is one around, but something in this area is restraining him. This is one hell of a presence I can sense.
The trapped souls switched their disorganised clamouring into an orchestral version.
“What are you disturbing me for?”
Some disciples’ faces turned as white as sheet and leaked blood from their ears upon hearing the voice hammer straight into their ears.
Gui Buyu answered, “Ghost Ancestor, someone has invaded our sect and begun a slaughter. We are all that remains of the sect! We have come here to beseech you to help.”
“What is Gui Mohan doing?!” Ghost Ancestor thundered.
“Argh!” cried a Golden Core Realm disciple, when his ears burst. As a result, the disciple rolled off the bridge and plunged into the gravity water.
“Weaklings shouldn’t come here,” berated Ghost Ancestor, killing another Golden Core Realm disciple without any remorse, prompting the surviving disciples to block their ears with their spiritual energy.
Does he not care he won’t have soldiers to order around? Mu Yu mused.
Gui Buyu, who wanted to save the two but could not due to the flying restriction, hastily relayed, “Patriarch has gone after someone by the name of Mu Yu and not returned. The other Ascension Realm elders have gone off to execute Third Heaven Palace’s orders. The Life and Death Sect Ascension Realm adept who invaded is too much for us to stop.”
“You can’t even stop one Ascension Realm cultivator? How useless can you be? Where are your twins?”
“We do not know why our twins suddenly woke up. I suspect… something happened over at Twins Corpse Field,” replied Gui Buyu.
“You lot are a letdown!”
“Please pardon us, Ghost Ancestor.” Gui Buyu bowed his head as another two plummeted into the water below.
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